Electrical contactors



get 1956 D. R. M FARLANE I ELECTRICAL CONTACTORS Filed may 23, 1952 R WW W ELECTRICAL CONTACTORS Donald R. MacFai-lane, Indianapolis, Ind.,assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., acorporation of New York Application May 23, 1952, Serial No. 289,525

7 Claims. (Cl. 339-258) This invention relates to electrical contactors,and more particularly to quick-detachable electrical contactors.

In testing electrical devices having leads provided with tips, the tipsare connected to the testing apparatus, and it is advantageous to makethe connections and disconnections quickly and with a minimum of effortand attention by the operator.

An object of the invention is to provide new and improved electricalcontactors.

Another object of the invention is to provide new and improvedquick-detachable contactors.

A further object of the invention is to provide connectors to whichtipped leads can be connected and disconnected by a simple pullingaction.

An electrical connector illustrating certain features of the inventionmay include a guide provided with spring fingers which contact a tip ona lead when the tip is pulled into the guide. The guide may be soconstructed that the tip may be pulled out of the guide to disconnect ittherefrom.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from thefollowing detailed description of an electrical contactor forming aspecific embodiment thereof, when read in conjunction with the appendeddrawings, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of an electricalcontactor forming a specific embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section taken along line 33 of Fig. 2,and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the contactor shown in Fig.1.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is shown therein acontactor provided with a generally funnelshaped body portion having atapered slit 11 at the top thereof. Tabs 12 and 13 are provided formounting the contactor on a base of insulating material 15, and the tab12 is secured to the body 10 by an offset portion 17. The lefthand endof the body portion 10 is generally channel-shaped as illustrated inFigs. 3 and 4, and spring arms 20 are formed by slits 21. The armsthemselves are composed of highly resilient electroconductive materialand may be brazed to the body portion proper. The arms 20 press toward abottom portion 22 and press against a band 23 of a contact tip 24 topress the band and a spade portion 25 against the bottom portion 22.

A cord 26 carrying the contact tip 24 may be electrically connected tothe contactor through the tip 24 by inserting the cord and tip laterallyinto the contactor through the righthand portion of the slit 11, andthen pulling the cord and tip to the left, as viewed in Fig. 1, to alocation such as shown in Fig. 2, in which the spring arms 20 which areformed of electrically conductive material press against the band 23 andpress the tip against the bottom portion 22, which also is formed ofelectrically conductive material. A lead 28 secured to the con- StatesPatent tactor serves to complete the circuit thereby. The spring armsare twisted to such positions that they contact the spade 25 as well asthe band 23, and are provided with lobes 30 spaced more closely to thebottom portion 22 of the contactor than the rest of the arms to contactthe tip forcefully. Arms 31 of a band 32 fixed to the contactor limitupward movement of the arms 20 and increase the contacting pressure ofthe arms. This increased pressure also acts as a signal to an operatorthat good contact has been made. The band has a shank portion 40 heldwith the shank portion 17 of the contactor. To release the tip from thecontactor, the cord 26 merely is pulled to pull the tip 24 from betweenthe arms 20 and the base 22.

The width of the slit 11 at the righthand portion thereof, as viewed inFig. 1, is sufficiently wide to permit the contact tip 24 to be movedlaterally therethrough into the tube. The spacing between the contactspring arms 26 is sufficiently wide to permit the cord 26 to move freelytherebetween, but is sufficiently narrow that the band 23 of the tipcannot be moved through that space. The twist in the spring arms is suchthat the spring arms partially face one another so that they tend tocenter the contact tip therebetween. The contactor is highly effectiveno matter what the degree of rotation of the contact tip 24 is relativeto the contactor. That is, the tip 24 may be pulled into effectivecontacted position while in such a rotated position that one side of thespade portion 25 travels in the slit 1]. as well as when the tip is insuch a position that both sides of the spade portion are beneath thespring arms 20. Consequently, the operator need not orient the tip 24 byrotation thereof before pulling the tip into the contactor.

The above-described contactor permits easy insertion of a tip cord andmakes contact therewith with a single motion of the tip by an operator,and the tip may be disconnected from the contactor merely by an easypull on the cord 26. Thus, very little effort and skill on the part ofthe operator are required to connect and disconnect the tip cord withand from the contactor.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simplyillustrative of the principles of the invention. Numerous otherarrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art whichwill embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spiritand scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A quick-detachable electrical contactor, which comprises a funnelcomposed of electrically conducting material having a tapered slitextending therealong through the Wider portion of which a cord having atip thereon may be advanced laterally to place the tip in the funnel,said funnel being slit along the narrower portion of the slit to form apair of arms for urging the tip on the cord against a side of thefunnel.

2. An electrical contactor, which comprises a tube composed ofelectro-conductive material having an open slit extending from one endto the other and also being cut from one end of the tube toward theother end thereof to form arms extending along a portion of the slit,said arms being composed of resilient material, the width of the portionof the slit at the end of the tube opposite the arms being sufficient topermit a tip having a band secured to a cord to be moved laterallytherethrough to insert the tip into the tube, the width of the portionof the slit formed by the arms being insufiicient to permit the band tobe moved through the slit and being sumcient to permit the cord to bemoved therethrough, said arms being twisted to positions in which theypartially face one another so that they tend to center a tip pulledthrough the tube, said arms also being provided with lobes positionedbetween the ends thereof.

3. An electrical contactor, which comprises a tube composedofelectro-conductive material having an open slit extending from one endto the other and also being cut from one end of the tube toward theother end thereof to form arms extending along a portion of the slit,said arms being composed of resilient material, the width of the portionof the slit at the end of the tube opposite the arms being sufiicient topermit a tip having a band secured to a cord to be moved laterallytherethrough to insert the tip into the tube, the width of the portionof the slit formed by arms being insufiicient to permit the band to bemoved through the slit and being sufiicient to permit the cord to bemoved therethrough, said arms being twisted to positions in which theypartially face one another so that they tend to center a tip pulledthrough the tube, said arms also being provided with lobes positionedbetween the ends thereof, and a pair of stops projecting over the freeends of the arms for limiting movement of the arms away from the tube,the stops being in such positions that they are engaged by the free endsof the arms as the band of the tip is pulled into contact with the lobesto increase the contact pressure between the arms and the band of thetip.

4. An electrical contactor, which comprises a tube composed ofelectro-conductive material having an open slit extending from one endto the other and also being cut from one end of the tube toward theother end thereof to form arms extending along a portion of the slit,said arms being composed of resilient material, the width of the portionof the slit at the end of the tube opposite the arms being sufficient topermit a tip having a band secured to a cord to be moved laterallytherethrough to insert the tip into the tube, the width of the portionof the slit formed by the arms being insufficient to permit the band tobe moved through the slit and being sufiicient to permit the cord to bemoved therethrough, said arms being twisted to positions in which theypartially face one another so that they tend to center a tip pulledthrough the tube, said arms also being provided with lobes positionedbetween the ends thereof, and a C-shaped band fixed to the tube in aposition in which the ends thereof project over the free ends of thearms for limiting movement of the arms away from the tube, the ends ofthe G-shaped band being in such positions that they are engaged by thefree ends of the arms as the band of the tip is pulled into contact withthe lobes to increase the contact pressure between the arms and the bandof the tip.

5. An electrical contactor, which comprises a contacting elementprovided with a slit electroconductive tube, the slit extending alongthe entire length of said tube and being sufliciently wide along aportion thereof to permit a tipped cord to be advanced therethrough, andmeans spaced adjacent to the tube for pressing said tip on a cord soadvanced against the tube to form electrical contact therebetween.

6. An electrical connector, which comprises an element having a channel,a pair of resilient arms mounted in the channel in such a manner thatthe arms partially face one another and partially face the bottom of thechannel, said arms being urged toward the bottom of the channel andtoward one another. and being so spaced along a portion thereof from oneanother and the bottom of the channel that a cord on which a tipprovided with a band portion may be moved between the arms, said armbeing so spaced along another portion thereof that the band portion ofthe tip cannot be moved through the space between the arms but can bemoved between the bottom of the channel and the arms in contacttherewith, and means for limiting movement of the arms away from oneanother and from the bottom of the channel, one of the arms and thechannel being electroconductive.

7. An electrical contactor, which comprises a substantially U-shapedmember, said member including a base portion and upwardly extendinglegs, a pair of resilient spaced arms mounted to said member in such amanner that said arms partially face one another and partially face saidbase portion to form a passage therewith, said arms being urged towardsaid base portion and toward one another and being so spaced along aportion thereof from one another and said base portion that a cord onwhich a tip provided with a band portion may be moved between said arms,said arms being so spaced along another portion thereof that the bandportion cannot be moved through the space between said arms but can bemoved between said base portion and said arms in contact therewith, andmeansfor limiting movement of said arms away from one another and fromsaid base portion, one of said arms and said base portion beingelectroconductive.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,092,472 Breaznell Apr. 7, 1914 1,331,928 Katzung Feb. 24, 19201,348,434 Marshick Aug. 3, 1920 1,451,548 Kreisheld Apr. 10, 19231,531,816 Russell Mar. 31, 1925 1,586,279 Batchelder May 25, 19261,682,994 Simon Sept. 4, 1928 1,995,115 Douglas Mar. 19, 1935 2,017,940Bessey Oct. 22, 1935 2,211,726 Knutson Aug. 13, 1940 2,222,252 Cochranet a1. Nov. 19, 1940 2,598,824 ONeill June 3, 1952 2,591,009 Riche Apr.1, 1952

